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How to Write a Cover Letter? Good Practices & Common Mistakes <ul><li>Svetlin Nakov </li></ul><ul><li>Telerik Academy </li></ul><ul><li>academy.telerik.com </li></ul><ul><li>Technical Trainer </li></ul>www.nakov.com

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Secrets of Successful Cover Letter Good design / layout Use your own words! Be unique Point what you want next Write what the employer wants! Explain you have the skills! Demonstrate motivation!

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Table of Contents <ul><li>Why We Need a Cover Letter? </li></ul><ul><li>Template-Based Cover Letters </li></ul><ul><li>How to Write a Good Cover Letter? </li></ul><ul><li>Lying in the Cover Letter? </li></ul><ul><li>Don’t Make Mistakes! </li></ul><ul><li>Good and Bad Cover Letters – Live Examples </li></ul>

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Why Do We Need a Cover Letter?

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What is the Cover Letter? <ul><li>The cover letter (CL) is a way of: </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Introducing yourself to a potential employer </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Explaining why you are suitable for the position </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Employers look for individualized and thoughtfully written cover letters </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>You put time writing CL  you are serious </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>This is a method of screening out applicants who </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Are not sufficiently interested in their position </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Who lack necessary basic skills </li></ul></ul></ul>

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What is the Cover Letter? (2) <ul><li>Cover letters can be: </li></ul><ul><ul><li>The application letter or invited cover letter </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Responds to a known job opening </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>The prospecting letter or uninvited cover letter </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Inquires about possible positions </li></ul></ul></ul>

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Why We Need a Cover Letter? <ul><li>The cover letter is the best way to show how motivated you are </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Also known as letter of motivation </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Why you want to start a career in this particular company? </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Why at exactly this position? </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Why in this sphere? </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Why you have the skills? </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Etc. </li></ul></ul>

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Companies Requesting Cover Letters <ul><li>Some people think that nobody reads the cover letters </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Consider them a meaningless requirement </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Such people believe that strong CV and rich experience is enough </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>In some companies this could be true, but in the best employers this is great mistake </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>If a cover letter is requested </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Be sure it will be read </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>At least at a glance </li></ul></ul></ul>

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What We Gain from Cover Letter? <ul><li>In the most prestigious and well-structured companies the cover letter is very important </li></ul><ul><ul><li>The human resources (HR) team at the company definitely reads it </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>If the cover letter is impressive </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>You will be immediately contacted and invited to an interview </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Even if your experience is not great </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><li>Impressive cover letter opens doors ! </li></ul>

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Cover Letters: Remember <ul><li>It is always worth to send a well-prepared and impressive cover letter </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Unique, especially written for exactly this company and exactly this job position </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Never &quot;reuse&quot; your cover letters! </li></ul><ul><ul><li>A great cover letter for certain company and job position is bad for another company / position </li></ul></ul>

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Cover Letters: Beware <ul><li>If you apply for a second time in given company </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Be sure to rewrite your cover letter </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Most good companies will disregard your application when you reuse the cover letter </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>The same cover letter means that </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Your motivation has not changed </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Your qualification is not changed </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>They should reject you again </li></ul></ul></ul>

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Recruiters Will Research You! <ul><li>Be sure that the HR professionals will try to find all the information about you they can </li></ul><ul><ul><li>They will search in Google about you </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>They will try to find your Facebook profile </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>They will try to find information about you from current employees </li></ul></ul>

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The HR Will Research You (2) <ul><li>The HR professionals never forget if you had ever sent a bad job application </li></ul><ul><ul><li>They will find you, be sure! </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>That’s why you should always carefully prepare your job application before sending it </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Think a bit how to proceed the next time when you apply for a job </li></ul></ul>

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Template-Based Cover Letters

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Template-Based Cover Letters <ul><li>The best way to guarantee a failure when applying for a job is </li></ul><ul><ul><li>To use a template-based cover latter </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Once we received a really &quot;nice&quot; cover letter: </li></ul>“ Dear …, I would like to apply for Your Company because I am skillful and highly enthusiastic candidate. I want to grow in Your Company, to improve my knowledge and skills. Your company is the best and I want to be part of it. I am hard worker and I am sure I will help your business to grow.”

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Template-Based Cover Letters (2) <ul><li>When using a template for cover letters </li></ul><ul><ul><li>You say nothing about why you want exactly this position in exactly this company </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>How your experience in the past will help you do exactly this job </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Why you really match the requirements from the job offer </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Phrases like “ Your Company ” are always evil ! </li></ul><ul><li>Once we received a cover letter starting with “ Dear … ” (with dots left from the template) </li></ul>

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How to Write a Good Cover Letter?

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A Good Cover Letter <ul><li>A good cover letter : </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Shows that you apply exactly for this company , not some other </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>You are interested in this particular company and this particular position </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Not just looking for some job </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Shows you have a clear idea of the position </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>What your future responsibilities will be, etc. </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Your skills match the requirements </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>You have great motivation for this job </li></ul></ul>

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What is a Good Cover Letter? <ul><li>Good cover letter writers first carefully read </li></ul><ul><ul><li>About the company </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>About the offered position </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>The detailed job description </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>The requirements stated in the job offer </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><li>Hint : write 1-2 sentences for each requirement </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Not directly following the job description </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Not exactly in the order as in the job offer </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Not exactly with the same words and phrases </li></ul></ul>

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Example Job Offer Requirement <ul><li>You could write for example: </li></ul>examine and analyze the technical documentation of competitors In my previous job I had to read a lot of technical documentation and thus I believe that I will be able to find, read and analyze various types of articles, documents, manuals, etc. <ul><ul><li>Don’t use exactly this sentence in your CL </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Say it with your words, matching your experience </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><li>If you don’t have similar experience, say for example: </li></ul><ul><li>Use your own words </li></ul>I like to read blogs and articles and I know that technical documentation is different but it should also be interesting and challenging.

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Example Job Offer Requirement (2) <ul><li>It is a bad idea to write: </li></ul><ul><li>How you prove this? </li></ul><ul><ul><li>What are your arguments? </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>If you are not good in something </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Just skip writing about it </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>You can’t say you are good at something without any arguments </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>How you know you are good in this </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Just describe it </li></ul></ul></ul>I am very good in examining and analyzing the technical documentation of competitors.

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Matching the Requirements <ul><li>You could write something like: </li></ul><ul><li>The above could never be used as a template </li></ul><ul><ul><li>It depends on your past experience, interests, skills, personal character qualities, etc. </li></ul></ul>excellent communication skills I believe I have a sense of communication because I had organized a small technical seminar at school and at the university where I needed to contact the speakers, arrange the seminar venue, invite the attendees, attract sponsors, etc. <ul><li>Given the following requirement: </li></ul>

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Bad Ideas <ul><li>Example of a bad way to directly match the requirements: </li></ul><ul><li>Similar nonsense claim is: </li></ul><ul><li>Saying something without arguments is always a bad idea </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Either argument well your statement or just don’t talk about it </li></ul></ul>I have excellent communication skills. I am 18 years old and I have very rich experience in professional project management in large teams.

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Who to Address in the Cover Letter? <ul><li>This is a common question </li></ul><ul><li>It is best if you can research who will be reading your cover letter </li></ul><ul><ul><li>That way you can address him directly </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>It is risky </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>You can misspell the name, e.g. </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><li>If you don't know the exact person </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Write ' Mr./Mrs. ', ' HR Manager ', etc. </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Something more common </li></ul></ul></ul>Dear Svetlin Nikolov and Training staff,

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Lying in the Cover Letter? Do You Really Need to Do It?

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Lying in Cover Letter <ul><li>Never lie ! </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Example: </li></ul></ul><ul><li>If you lie in your CV or cover letter </li></ul><ul><ul><li>You will be caught at the interview and you will get fired </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Write in the cover letter something </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Matching the requested requirements </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Supported by true, valid arguments </li></ul></ul></ul>I have 10 years of experience with Silverlight.

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Validate Your Arguments <ul><li>You could prove that you match certain requirements either </li></ul><ul><ul><li>By showing similar experience </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>By saying you have read about this in the past </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>By sharing that you have a friend who always talks to you about this and have show it to you </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>You explain you want to learn this, you had read an article and watched a video tutorial </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Always use valid arguments and never lie </li></ul><ul><ul><li>If you say you are …, find supporting arguments </li></ul></ul>

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Validate Your Arguments (2) <ul><li>Another example: </li></ul><ul><li>How you prove this? </li></ul><ul><li>You could say that </li></ul><ul><li>or better explain that </li></ul><ul><li>Use valid arguments based on past experience </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Not only work experience, but general </li></ul></ul>I am a hard-worker … at the university I always had high grades because I always have come very well prepared for the exams … … when an important work is waiting, I cannot sleep until I get it done …

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Don’t Make Mistakes! Spelling, Punctuation and Formatting Mistakes

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Avoid Mistakes <ul><li>When writing your CV and cover letter, use a spell checker </li></ul><ul><li>Don’t make spelling mistakes, punctuation mistakes, etc. </li></ul><ul><ul><li>MS Word / Google Docs / OpenOffice have very good spell checkers </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Just use them! </li></ul></ul>

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Formatting Mistakes <ul><li>Format your CV and cover letter well </li></ul><ul><ul><li>At this point you can use templates </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Just type &quot; sample cover letter &quot; in Google and you will find examples </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Be sure to use only the styles, layout and formatting from the best examples you find </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Never use the text inside </li></ul></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Some employers use an automated software to check for template-based cover letters </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Be sure to write it entirely in your words </li></ul></ul></ul>

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Good and Bad Cover Letters Live Demo

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Homework <ul><ul><li>Find in Internet a job opening related to you skills and interests </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Research the employer and offered position </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Following our guidelines write a cover letter for applying for this job position </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Carefully prepare and send a job application </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Just for training, to gain experience </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>You could always cancel an eventual interview invitation </li></ul></ul></ul>

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How to Write a Cover Letter? <ul><li>Questions? </li></ul>

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Thank You!